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Effective at 3pm, Variety Hits KDHT 107.1 FM has dropped the "Jack FM" format in favor of an Alternative music format. The station has rebilled itself, "107X" Denver's Rock Alternative and is playing 5,000 songs in a row without commercials or jocks. Their new website is at http://www.project107x.com.

KDHT 107.1 FM Jack FM Flips To 'Denver's Rock Alternative'

From All Access:

MAX BROADCAST GROUP Adult Hits KDHT (107.1FM)/DENVER has flipped to "107X - DENVER's Rock Alternative," this afternoon (MONDAY, 3/24). They are running 5,000 songs in a row commercial-free.
Check out their new website at www.project107x.com

That's why Jack is gone. The "Jack FM" format hasn't done well for many years now here in Denver. Not on 107.1 FM or on 105.5 FM during the last few years. It's done. Damn him??? Sheesh. I'm really surprised he kept it so long. I had said in November when the ratings came out that they would most likely change KDHT's format because of the lack of ratings. I'm sure the Jack format was losing them A LOT of cash.

I pointed out a few days ago that there's a great opening for another Alternative music station here in Denver. If they do it right, they could pull a bunch of listeners from KBCO, KTCL, KALC and KBPI.

Uncle Nasty (Greg Stone) is still with the station, but will not be heard again on air until April 7th after their 5,000 songs in a row. Maybe they will get Whip (aka Whipping Boy) to be involved since he was running the last Alternative station Max Media had here in town, Indie 101.5. Indie did great and I think got some of the highest ratings 101.5 FM had before this last book. Look for them to change the calls to KXDE - For "X" and DE for Denver.

It sounds like 107X is playing mostly 90s Alternative... with an occasional 80s classic and newer song thrown in.

107.1 FM reinvents itself as 107X, promises listener-based format

From Westword:

107.1 FM reinvents itself as 107X, promises listener-based format

From the Beastie Boys "Sabotage" music video.

Let's call this a best-case scenario.
Looks like the pop radio hits of yesteryear just aren't cutting it anymore for the folks at 107.1 FM, known until very recently as Jack FM. The station launched a complete overhaul of its format and its content yesterday, unveiling a new brand name, a new musical niche and a fresh emphasis on alt-rock from the 1990s and 2000s. The newly minted 107X touts itself as Denver's "rock alternative" and is already encouraging listeners to offer their two cents...sort of.
"Jack FM just wasn't doing it for us. We did a little market research and the programming people who work here in the building decided to form a station that plays classic alternative," says Brian DeGrasse, the station's director of programming, adding that the core of the new programming will be rock and alternative from the '90s and 2000s. "It's a wedge directly between KTCL and KBPI."

The station has yet to reveal a formal line-up of DJs and programming. In the meantime, they're playing 5,000 songs in a row and pointing to a format that takes many cues from listeners. According to the release announcing the kick-off, the new station will be "completely listener-driven."

DeGrasse backed up that claim, insisting that the audience will largely steer the content of the new station.

"Listeners who want to submit song requests of titles they haven't heard in a while -- if they fit the programming, we will put them on the air and we email them or text them," he notes.

That means that a listener jonesing to hear Dolly Parton's "Jolene" may be out of luck, but a Primus fan looking for a deep cut from Pork Soda may find a welcome haven. The station, owned by Virginia-based conglomerate Max Media, will make requests a priority, DeGrasse says.

The labels alternative and rock cover a wide span, as do the two decades between 1990 and 2010. We asked DeGrasse to sum up the approach of the new station via five song titles by five different artists, and the results give a portrait of what you can expect. They were:

Radio Insight - Jack-FM Denver Is X'd Out

From Radio Insight:

For the second time the Jack-FM brand has exited Denver as Max Media flips 107.1 KDHT Bennett, CO to Classic Alternative “107X“.

Telling Westword that the station is “a wedge directly between KTCL and KBPI,” Program Director Brian DeGrasse states, “Jack FM just wasn’t doing it for us. We did a little market research and the programming people who work here in the building decided to form a station that plays classic alternative.” The station is focusing its playlist on songs from 1990 through 2010.

Launching jockless with 5000 songs commercial-free through April 7, KDHT intends to utilize a service to allow all of the music to be selected by the listener. Former 106.7 KBPI afternoon host Greg ‘Uncle Nasty’ Stone, who joined Jack-FM last April will remain in that timeslot with the new format.

KDHT had become the second station in Denver to utilize the Jack-FM format and branding in December 2012 following an earlier flip at 105.5 KJAC.

I think the problem is the strength of their signal. I live on the South end of the metro area and never seem to get a decent signal on 107.1. I liked the Jack format but could never listen to it due to the poor reception.

I think the problem is the strength of their signal. I live on the South end of the metro area and never seem to get a decent signal on 107.1. I liked the Jack format but could never listen to it due to the poor reception.

Your 100% right, it is. And the Jeff the DM knows that and is quite aware of the expensive problem on fixing it. But they are in the process of fixing the problem. So hopefully soon they well have both 101.5 and 107.1 problem fixed. Jeff is also sick and tired of 107.1 being in the Zero rang in the ratings. I sure do wish them all the best in luck on this new format (again).
They are right, Jack wasn't playing much localized commericals.

oh, certainly the signal is crap, and if you look at the fcc filings, they've done some incredibly stupid things in order to make it worse.

1071 had nearly a 3 share during it's hot ac phase. 101.5 is.. crappy, but appropiate to it's service area, so it's doing ok.
so, even with the crap signal, it should be nicely profitable were it managed in some sort of manner other than "throw a dart at the wall and see if it sticks"